


The Night Starts Here

by Celestriakle



Series: Chatplay Canon [10]
Category: Caduceus | Trauma Center Series, NiGHTS into Dreams, ナイツ 〜星降る夜の物語〜 | NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Drugs, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fights, Framed for murder, Homophobia, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Human Experimentation, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Murder, Mutilation, One-Sided Attraction, Physical Abuse, Psychotropic Drugs, Punishment, Rejection, Suicide, Violence, friend zone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-30
Updated: 2012-01-08
Packaged: 2019-12-26 23:11:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18292121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Celestriakle/pseuds/Celestriakle
Summary: Lucent's feelings at last come to light.





	1. Revelation and Rejection

_Chk chk chk._

Nitrine groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. For a moment, the noise stopped, but then:

_Chk chk chk._

"Shironaaa," he whined, slowly rolling out of bed. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at his clock, which flashed the time: _4:46._ He sighed, and shuffled towards the door. Sometimes, that woman could be as bad as... "Lucent!"

Lucent jumped, nearly dropping his Rubik's cube as he cast a bewildered glance towards his friend. "Ah..." He pushed himself into a sitting position from where he lay on the couch, and his expression shifted to one of concern. "I'm sorry; did I wake you?"

"Nn... It's ok..." Nitrine scratched his head and walked over, his gaze on Lucent's hands. "Whuzzat...?"

Lucent tossed the cube from hand to hand. "Oh, nothing. Just a Rubik's cube." He held it up to Nitrine, proffering the toy. "Did you want to try?"

Nitrine accepted, turning it in his hands. He had never seen this before... it seemed pretty old; it was covered in scrapes and gashes from Lucent's careless handling. Some squares were so damaged only a tiny corner indicated what color it was supposed to be. He didn't even try; the puzzle was much too difficult for this time of night. He handed it back. "Lucent, what are you doing here..?"

"Well, I..." Lucent glanced up with a small smirk, turning the returned cube in his hands, "couldn't sleep."

"Why did you come here..?"

He shrugged. "Didn't wanna be home."

"Oh..." Nitrine turned; at this point he just wanted to go back to sleep. "Then... shh... ok?"

"Of course." Lucent smiled. "I'm done anyways." And he put the completed cube down on the table. He swung his legs back up onto the couch and rested his twined fingers upon his belly. His peripherals pulsed a dark green as he heard Nitrine fall back onto his bed, and he closed his eyes and listened. Faintly, he could hear it. He could see it. The palest shades of blue, undulating across his field of vision. Nitrine's breathing. He could see the rate change; soon, he recognized that it would slow no more. Nitrine had returned to sleep. Lucent opened his his eyes and swung to his feet, standing up. Tentatively, almost shyly, he entered his friend's room and knelt by the bed. He knew it was clichéd, but he did love to watch others sleep. They always looked so peaceful. Nitrine especially. Smiling faintly, he reached out, but then hesitated and drew back. He didn't want to risk waking him again, so instead, he folded his arms beneath him, and watched the gentle rise and fall of the blankets. He was able to enjoy it, for a while. Less than an hour had passed when he felt the irresistible crush of exhaustion. Like always, he didn't stand a chance. He was asleep in moments.

Nitrine awoke to the startling sight of Lucent so close; he nearly fell out of the bed in a bout of spazzy surprise. "Nn..." Lucent buried his face a little deeper into his arms, and Nitrine leaned in a little closer. Was he really...? Eyes closed, slow breath, yes: Lucent was asleep! Carefully, quietly, Nitrine crept out of the room and shut the door behind him, letting him sleep. But then the question occurred to him: Why was Lucent kneeling right there? He looked back at the door, then went to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast, worries filling his head. By the time he spooned the bacon and eggs onto the plate, he was a nervous wreck. Lucent wasn't doing lewd things by his bed, was he? He hadn't been touched in his sleep, had he? There was no way a guy could feel that way for another! ...Was there? No, no! Nitrine shook his head, slamming the pan down on the counter. Lucent was a good guy, despite, despite... He stopped the thought there. Lucent was a good guy. With a sigh, Nitrine moved to wash the dishes, trying to clear his mind when the door to his room opened. "Sorry..." mumbled Lucent, walking over, rubbing his eyes. "I didn't mean to fall asleep." Quickly growing alert, he blinked at the food. "You made breakfast?"

Nitrine nodded, looking at Lucent and wondering. "Yeah, help yourself." Could he really..?

"Thank you." Lucent picked up his plate and sat down in a chair where he gingerly began eating. Nitrine hurriedly finished his cleaning so he could join him, and as he ate, glanced repeatedly at his friend. The thoughts wouldn't let him be. There was only one way to end it. As Lucent got up to put his plate away, Nitrine asked.

"Lucent?"

"Hm?" Rising from putting the plate in the dishwasher, Lucent turned back towards him.

Nitrine hesitated, for a moment discouraged, nervous, then blurted, "Do you love me more than you should?"

Lucent stiffened a bit, his pulse picking up, and his forehead creased as he drew his nonexistant brows together and tilted his head. "Wha... What do you mean?"

"W-well, you come around so often... and you were by my bed this morning... and and the way you look at me sometimes..." Anxiously, he met Lucent's gaze. Lucent quickly looked away. "Do you love me more than you should?" he repeated.

Lucent closed his eyes tight for a moment, a shameful blush rising to his cheeks as he opened them again. His answer came in a whisper. "I do... I have for a long time."

Nitrine was right. It was a bit of a relief, but if that was the case... then all his other worries were distinct possibilities. All those hugs... The one time they had shared a bed... Nitrine pulled a face, shifting anxiously in his chair, but he tried, and failed, to keep his voice normal. "S-so, last night, you weren't doing anything... were you?"

Lucent looked over, blinked in surprise, and answered firmly, "No! When I'm with you, my mind is not in a dirty place. I don't... I don't think about those sorts of things when I'm with you, awake or not. Please don't think I do. Please."

Nitrine heaved a sigh of relief, comforted somewhat, though a seed of doubt remained in his mind. Yet he could see the desperation on Lucent's face, in his eyes. "...You know I don't feel the same. I can't. And some of the things you do..." Nitrine squirmed.

Lucent sighed. Yes, he knew, but to hear it spoken somehow hurt a bit more. It reminded him of what a sick fuck he was. "Yes. I know. I'm not asking you to. I just..." He walked over and picked up Nitrine's hand, barely grasping it in both of his own. "I just don't want our relationship to change."

Nitrine resisted the urge to pull his hand away, and looked down at their hands, then up at Lucent. "...I don't think that's possible. I'm sorry."

Lucent sighed, his expression clenching along with his hold on Nitrine's hand. His hurt shone clear, moisture catching in his lashes, but suddenly his shoulders dropped and his expression cleared. Hurt gave way to resignation. His voice turned listless. "I understand. I... I'll go. Thanks for breakfast, Nitrine. Thanks for listening." The first tear fell before he could disappear.

Nitrine sighed, letting his head drop onto his empty plate. "What a mess."


	2. Pain and Fear

Back in Nightmare, Lucent stumbled atop a pillar in his sanctum, wobbling dangerously towards the edge. For a moment, looking down into the blackness, falling appeared a pleasant ideal, but then his knees gave way, and it was too late. He collapsed. Forehead to the cold floor, arms around his head, he wept. He wept for the time spent in vain, for the loss of what he once had, for the pure, raw, and complete rejection that rang through every cell in his body. But it couldn't last forever. He learned upon that pillar that tearful eyes eventually run dry. The pain had dulled.

Swaying slightly, Lucent brought himself back to his feet and looked around with unseeing eyes. What now? What else. Systematically, he hopped along the pillars to the center one, gliding the longer distances, and twirled to face the same direction of the red rain drop before jumping from level to level down to the ground. Here, not even the light penetrated; it never ceased to be a strange experience for someone as visually saturated as he to become so totally blind. He moved by memory, up above this step, around that wall. Almost there, he paused and looked. Glowing bright with heat, kinetic energy, and all the power of dreams, sat a frightened little Visitor, trapped behind invisible doors. The light of the child stood out starkly against the darkness of his surroundings, and Lucent watched as she looked around anxiously, moving around and scraping against the metal, summoning lines of midnight blue across Lucent's vision. He hadn't made a sound as he came down, but the Visitors always knew when he was near. They could sense their nightmares as he could smell their fear. He moved on.

In the wall, he fit a fingerknife into a hole, and suddenly the entire area began to light up, lights he knew visible only to him. Others merely felt faint warmth emanating from the pillars, but he saw them each outlined in a warm orange light. His fingerknives scraped against the wall as he stepped away and ducked under a low overhang, swinging into a room. Coating every wall sprawled an overwhelmingly sophisticated scramble of letters and numbers, elements and variables. A lovely, logical puzzle begging to be solved at last. The latest of many. Following the trail, he drifted back out into the hall and perceived the black marks of heat-resistant paint spilling out in a fervor of potential solutions. His glazed-over gaze slogged over those last few steps, reminding himself of where he left off, but the moment he picked up the calligraphy brush to continue, he froze. The mere thought of trying to figure this out instantly gave him a pounding headache, and swaying slightly, he fell back, sitting up against the clean wall. "Ahh..." Lucent looked up enviously, searchingly, at the puzzle, then groaned and rubbed his temples with the bottom edge of his palms, shutting his eyes tight. Shit. How else might he drown out his traitorous feelings, if his favored pool was closed to him? As if he had to ask. Chuckling darkly, he drew his hands away from his head. Of course.

He jumped to his feet and strode back to where the Visitor was kept, but before his hand touched the lock, he froze. In this shit world, why limit himself to a single captive? There was plenty of human excrement he could bury his troubles in, and this one was intended for another purpose. Surely, he would have no difficulty in finding someone who might be a little more... appreciative, than this already terrified child. He knew for certain there were plenty of readily available marenfolk who would be. But for now, he grinned and scraped his claws sharply across the plastic, creating a sudden screeching noise that evoked a startled scream from the captive, who looked around wildly. Lucent backed away, back to turn off the pillars' heat. "Later," he promised, then warped off to the real world. No more dreams, not anymore.

Within the warmth of her home, a golden-haired wife twisted off her ring and placed it on her dresser with a small clank before retiring to bed, squeaking as her husband pinched her bum on the way. Giggling, she climbed in on the other side and leaned over to give him a kiss. "Good night honey," she whispered.

With an adoring smile, he answered, "Good night," then turned over, getting comfy, and the entire house sighed, settling down for the night. One by one, they closed their eyes and slipped to sleep.

_Click._

The door soundlessly swung open, and Lucent floated in, looking around. How very... bland. Human homes all looked the same. Reiji, Shirona, or any of his last three victims' homes, he was amazed they could differentiate them at all.

_Drip._

His first kill was a small boy, no different from usual fare. Rightfully terrified of the monster under the bed. He had emerged from the shadows beneath and whipped around, covering the child's mouth before he could scream. "No one can hear you," Lucent had told him, then promptly proceeded to pull out his intestines and tie them around various objects in his room. Like a present, Lucent had wrapped up his playtime by removing the boy's heart and tying it onto the very end of the intestines with a bow. Blood seeped into most of every corner of the room and had stained portions of his white clothes by the time he was done, and he stomped loudly on the ground to get the attention of the parents who entertained themselves one story below. They had screamed.

_Drip._

The second one was different. She was an old one, and curiously, he had walked in on her awake, kneeling by a shrine. Lucent had assumed it was to her dead husband; she was alone at home and other pictures of him and her decorated the house. She had crossed herself when he entered, but as he approached and she perceived his intentions, she showed no fear. Rather, she had turned, kissed the picture on the shrine, and looked back up at him. "Thank you," she had said, and smiled. He saw then and there that no pleasure could be derived from this kill, so he made it quick: Heaving her up against the wall, he had torn out her throat and stroked down, creating the sort of wound that promised to end her life relatively quickly. Her scream had only succeeded in saddening him. He had dropped her and stepped back, looking down. Weeping and wheezing, she had died smiling up at him.

_Drip._

His second kill had served only to unnerve and depress him; his third kill had promised to wash that away. Very basic, as mindless as he could make it, he had snuck into the room of a teenage girl sprawled on the bed asleep. There were no games, just claws in flesh, ripping, tearing, mutilating. When he finally allowed himself to regain his senses, she had become very nearly unrecognizable. He had stumbled back, leaning against the wall a moment, and huffed. The kill served its purpose; he left unnoticed.

_Drip._

The clock now struck midnight, and Lucent floated through the kitchen, wiping his claws clean on an already stained corner of his shirt. He already had a plan, and, alas, this particular idea didn't allow him to use his own knives. Plucking the chef's knife from the block, he stole up the stairway, creeping into the couple's room. As he floated around to the husband's side of the bed, he observed them sleep. Peaceful, as always. Not for long. In a quick and sudden, almost jerky, movement, he shoved the husband onto his back and crouched upon his chest with the knife to his neck and a hand over his mouth. "Shhh," Lucent urged. The humans always obeyed. He chuckled at the panic and horror in the man's gaze, adjusting his hold on the knife, then commanded, "Now, scream." An easy direction to follow; the moment sound prepared to leave the man's mouth, Lucent pressed down on the knife, slicing it open just as the air rushed through his windpipe. The always-amusing whistling sound it created showed up as a strange shade of sea foam green in his vision, and Lucent watched the life disappear from the his widened eyes. He slid the knife free and walked to the other side of the bed where the wife slept. As blood stained the sheets, he lifted the covers and gently closed the woman's hand around the weapon. The best nightmares, he knew, were the ones people woke up to. He paused a moment by the window, gaze caught by a glint from the ring, then shook his head and slipped outside. He wondered where to go next, but he didn't stay still pondering for long. Emotions closed in quickly.


	3. Meanwhile

Wizeman had seen everything. From the moment an eye had caught a glimpse of Lucent's breakdown, he had stayed tuned and watched concernedly. Not for Lucent's safety, heaven's no, but he worried. Such emotional instability could be a great liability, especially if Lucent decided to try to seek his equilibrium by hunting down other marens. A wizehand turned just as the voice reached his ear.

"You called, Master?" asked Reala, down on one knee, bowing with a fist over his heart.

"Yes... Lucent is in the Waking World, attacking humans before they sleep."

Reala looked up in surprise. "Lucent?"

"Yes. He is unstable; return him to me immediately."

An affirmative nod, and Reala was on his way, but as he left Wizeman's chambers, he couldn't help but wonder: Why were all the other first levels so troublesome?

* * *

"Nitrine, you've been washing that same plate for the last fifteen minutes," observed Shirona, leaning up against the kitchen wall.

Nitrine jumped and nearly dropped the plate he was holding; only his wild flails saved it. "Aah! S-s-sorry, Shirona..!" He put the plate down on the counter with the other clean dishes. "I've just been a little distracted today, I guess." He moved onto the next dirty piece of glassware.

Shirona snorted. "Isn't that the understatement of the year. This has been what, the tenth time I've caught you spacing out today?"

"Twelfth," he corrected, a tad embarrassed.

"Twelfth." She walked over and examined the dishes. "At least you don't have to redo these." More than a few of his chores had required redoing because of his spaciness. He just nodded, and she eyed him a few moments. "...Alright, I give. What's on your mind?"

"Well..." he said, not quite sure how to start, then his head snapped up at the sound of a knock. "I'll get it!" he volunteered, eager to escape the subject, then flew to the door and opened it. "Jade...?" he asked, mystified. Jade smiled.

"Good to see you too. How've you been?" she asked.

"You have the weirdest relatives," Shirona interjected, but Nitrine didn't respond.

"I... I've been pretty good, I guess. What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, unfortunately, I can't say I came for a friendly visit. I'm looking for Lucent." Jade peered in, looking around. "No one's seen him all day, and usually that means he's come here. You wouldn't have happened to seen him, would you?"

Nitrine's face crumpled with guilt, and he looked down, avoiding her eyes. "N-no... Not since this morning..."

How extraordinarily _easy_. Jade wasn't quite being honest when she said _no one_ had seen Lucent. "Hm... That's worrisome..." She furrowed her nonexistent brows and put her chin in her hand as she contemplated. "I hope nothing's happened to him."

Nitrine squeaked, then blurted, "We got in a fight! Sort of! He told me he loved me! And, and, it freaked me out, especially since he was sleeping by my bed when I woke up! He was really sad, and and! Come on!" He grabbed onto Jade's arm and dragged her out. "We gotta find him!"

Jade chuckled under her breath as she stumbled along after him. "Ok, ok; take it easy. If we keep our cool, we'll find him."

Shirona frowned at the mess Nitrine had forgotten about in his rush, then clicked her tongue and shrugged. "His loss~" She flicked off the breaker switch to his apartment before showering and retiring to bed.


	4. Blood Runs Like Water

As Lucent floated through the city, the swirling blue vortex of a warp exit point materialized in front of him, and he tensed, slowing to a stop. Who...? "Reala." He did not relax.

"Lucent." Reala inclined his head in greeting, arms already crossed. "I hear you've been raising hell out here."

"I would not contest the fact."

"But Master's worried. Says you're unstable."

"It hasn't been exactly the best of days."

"So," Reala spread his hands out as he spoke, smirking some, "I've been asked to take you home. Will you come willingly, or will I need to drag your ass out of this putrid place?"

Lucent thought about that choice for a few moments. He remembered the old woman, then smiled. "Come and get me."

Both men tensed, analyzing the other, watching. The atmosphere closed in and became oppressive. Reala's fingers twitched, and Lucent flinched back. The rest faded away, and it was only them. The calm before the storm. Reala clicked his heels and began hurtling forward. It had begun.

Lucent didn't even try for an offense; he warped out of the way. Reala skidded to a stop and looked around, honing back in on his target, and flew at Lucent again, who warped away once more. Reala huffed, a bit frustrated, but gave it one more try. The moment he correctly anticipated Lucent's disappearance, he turned, arcing up and hoping he'd be somewhere close. He was right. Lucent appeared in front and above him, looking around. Lucent turned just as he reached him, scraping his claws up Lucent's thigh, inciting a shout of pain. "You can't run forever!" he said with a grin as he wound up a roundhouse, but Lucent was gone. He whirled around, locating Lucent again, and shot back up.

Lucent clutched his leg, hoping to stem the bleeding. Shit, that had hurt more than he expected. Seeing Reala barreling towards him, Lucent raised his hand, but for half a moment, he lost his nerve; rather than sending off a bolt of favored electricity, he threw a fireball. Bad choice. Reala didn't even try to go around it; he shot straight through it, too fast to be burned, and his fist smashed into Lucent's tender gut with all the ferocity of a jumbo jet. The air rushed out of Lucent's lungs; he tasted blood, but amid the pain he absorbed all the kinetic energy that Reala had moved with and internalized it. When Reala swung his arm to strike again, Lucent caught it and pulled, swinging Reala down into the ground with a crack and shock of brilliant yellow pulsing across his vision. Reala laughed. "Much better!" He launched back up into the air, above the gasping Lucent, and grinned, then flew at him again.

Lucent's vision blurred, tinged with red, and it focused just with time enough for him to swing his hand up and release a bolt of lightening that crackled and bent to strike its target. Reala grunted and his muscles seized; his path swerved and swiveled, so instead of passing harmlessly by, he crashed directly into Lucent, taking them both barreling down into the ground. Lucent bore the brunt of the force; an unhealthy crack accompanied their fall and Lucent screamed, his vision completely obscured by red.

* * *

 

Nitrine froze and tilted his head. Faintly, he picked up on the sound, that scream of excruciating pain, and gasped, turning to Jade and shaking her tunic. "Did you hear that?"

She tilted her head and nodded. "Sounds like Lucent..."

"Sounds like he's been hurt! Come on, we have to help him; come on!" He shook her especially violently, and as she put her hand on her head to steady herself, spiral irises swirling slightly, he was already gone. Laughing, she followed just behind.

Reala recovered much faster than Lucent, who lay stunned below him, and shook the voltage from his system, grunting, then grinning. "Looks like you screwed yourself, Lucent." He pushed himself into a sitting position. "Though, before we go, it is my _unfortunate_ duty as general to remind you of the... painful consequences of rebellion."

Reala raised his claws, paused for a single dramatic moment, then swung them down, digging them into Lucent's abdomen, straight through the cloth and chain mail that made up Lucent's shirt, and Lucent cried out in pain, tears pricking his eyes. Reala withdrew his claws, but before he could strike again, froze and looked over as a voice shouted, "Get off of him!" Nitrine by that time was too close to stop; he grabbed onto Reala and threw him with all the strength his fury and adrenaline provided into a nearby building. With that threat at least temporarily removed, he looked down at Lucent and gasped, seeing the blood seeping from his various wounds. "Ohmygod, LucentLucent, are you ok?"

Lucent groaned.

Nitrine began to say something, but his gaze snapped up at the sound of shifting rubble and the sight of Reala emerging from it and dusting himself off. "That almost hurt," he commented, and looked over at Nitrine, grinning. "What a fabulous day. I get to beat some sense into two idiots instead of one." Nitrine floated back an inch, intimidated a moment, but then he clenched his hands and steeled his resolve, growling, his cannon appearing and arming itself. Reala had this coming, big time.

Reala kicked off his flight towards the pair, but stopped short as a being of writhing, blackish indigo smoke dived between them. The energy dissipated to reveal Mica, swinging up into a standing position, who glanced at Lucent and whistled, "Wow~ Looks like you did quite a number."

"Out of my way, Mica! I'm on Master's orders. I'm supposed to bring Lucent back."

"You're not laying another hand on him!" chimed Nitrine, moving around Mica and aiming at Reala, but he never got the chance to fire; Mica whirled on him, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing his cannon down towards Lucent.

She spoke with a quiet urgency as she said, "Don't even think about it; if you pick a fight, not only will you get your ass kicked, but we can't afford to just leave Lucent lying on the ground like that while you two work out your issues. Got it?" Nitrine studied the mask, looking for the expression behind it, and she looked back at him steadily. "Trust me; I know what I'm talking about."

He heaved a great, frustrated sigh and glared at Reala a moment before crossing his arms and looking away, off to the side, and growled, "Fine..."

Mica grinned and turned back to Reala, who had waited patiently for the girls to talk. "Is that so?" she asked. "Looks like you were just beating him up."

"He resisted."

"Unusual~ Did Master give you a time limit?"

"Yes. Master wants him immediately. Why?"

"Let us take Lucent back and take care of him. If you don't, we'll both fight you tooth and nail, and you know how pleasantly tangling with me always ends for you, regardless of how badly you may pummel me in the fight. Never mind any injuries sustained thanks to Nitrine's talents and powers. Blame me for the delay if you want."

Reala grunted, glancing down at her wrists and remembering the enormous frustration, pain, and helplessness that accompanied her sickness. Fucking poison. "Fine."

Nitrine stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange, as requested, floating protectively over the agonized Lucent, but now he knelt down and picked his friend up, who gasped and clutched at his hoodie, fingerknives slicing through it. Nitrine bit his lip as his brows creased in worry, watching blood bubble up anew from Lucent's fractured horns. A drop fell and hit the ground. They were gone by the time it splashed.


	5. Tense Treatment

The three landed among the ambulance reception site at Resurgam—the only hospital in the waking world that, thanks to NiGHTS, would treat Nightmaren—where they caught the immediate attention of first responder Maria, who had just been parking her motorcycle. She looked over, saw Lucent, and ran over, quickly ushering them into the hospital. "Get in, get in!" Peering around Nitrine, she asked, "What _happened_ to him?"

"He got in a fight," answered Mica, giving a pointed look at Reala, who was scraping some dried blood from his claws.

"What?" he asked, almost challengingly, glancing over. She just giggled and shook her head.

Maria shook her head at the both of them, then banged on the door where surgeon CR-S01 stayed. "Hey! We have a patient out here for you!" She didn't wait for an answer; she ushered Nitrine into the OR to place Lucent upon the bed. Lucent whined as he left Nitrine's arms, then coughed, hacking up some blood. Maria taped on some bandages to stem the worst of the bleeding, then ran off to fetch some nurses to help.

Mica took this chance to walk over and inform Nitrine: "Looks like he has internal bleeding; they're probably going to have to cut him open to fix it. Anesthesia doesn't work on him, you know, so he'll feel everything. Unless you knock him out the old-fashioned way. But then you accept the fact that when he wakes up, he's going to have lost contact with reality for a while. And who knows what he'll do then~ But, since you're his beloved, I'll leave the decision to you." Patting Nitrine's shoulder, she left the room to go meet Reala out in the lobby.

"These magazines are shit," he complained, twisting a magazine this way and that.

"Of course; they're hospital magazines." Mica plopped down in a chair and crossed her ankles, twining her fingers behind her head. "One of us probably could have gotten Nii instead of coming here," she observed. "It would be much faster and safer and less painful if she healed Lucent instead."

"Yup."

"But neither of us are going to, are we?"

"Nope."

Mica giggled and leaned back in her chair.

Back in the OR, Nitrine paced anxiously back in forth across the OR. Nurses had arrived to prep Lucent; he nearly lopped off the arm of the nurse who had tried to stick an IV in him before groaning and falling back in bed. "OhIdon'twanttohurthimbutIdon'?" Nitrine spoke under his breath as he paced, glancing at Lucent with every pass, who refused to look back at him."Ohgoshohgoshohgosh." Nitrine ruffled the hair around his temples, then, without looking, gave Lucent a hard clout to the head. He paused and looked. Lucent was out cold. "I hope I didn't hurt him too bad..." Just then, CR-S01 opened the doors and looked down at Lucent, a nurse explaining the situation behind him. She seemed surprised to see Lucent unconscious. He looked up at Nitrine.

"All visitors need to clear the OR," he informed. Nitrine looked up, eyes full of worry, then left.

Mica and Reala had made a game out of watching Nitrine pace across the lobby. Every time they thought Nitrine was about to turn around, they would tap the arm of their chair. If Mica was right, she got to slap Reala's hand; if she was wrong, he got to slap hers, and vice versa for him. Mildly entertaining enough. At long last, CR-S01 emerged, and Nitrine ran up to meet him. "How's he doing?"

"He'll be fine," CR-S01 answered coolly. "He lost a significant amount of blood and will need time to recover, but it was a simple operation. There should be nothing to worry about."

"If that's the case, can we take him home?" called Mica. "He can rest there, and I'm sure you'd prefer not to have a tripped out patient wrecking havoc in your halls."

CR-S01 gave Mica a long look, but then he nodded his approval and the three got up to move where Lucent was being kept. "Does this mean you're going to let me take him now?" asked Reala.

"No," Mica answered. "He's not better." Reala heaved an enormous sigh as Nitrine pushed aside the curtains.

Lucent lay sleeping peacefully within. A cast encased the fractured portions of his horns to keep them from getting jostled as they set, and bandages wrapped around both his thigh and torso. Mica picked up his dirtied clothes from their place folded next to him and examined them as Nitrine pored over Lucent. "One... two..." she whispered. "Three! There are three shades of bloodstains here. He killed three people today~" Nitrine gave her a haggard look, but she paid him hardly any mind and waltzed over, scooped up Lucent, and announced, "To Nitrine's!" Reala sighed, irritated, before following the others.

Nitrine stood in the entryway, flicking on and off the useless light switch with a defeated look on his face. "You look pathetic," sneered Reala as he walked in, claiming the couch for himself and stretching out upon it.

"Shirona..." he mumbled, then sighed and began walking around the house and lighting various candles. Mica was already inside, tucking Lucent into Nitrine's bed. When he walked in to check up on her and light the candles there, Jade held Lucent's hand in hers and was carefully sliding off his fingerknives. "What are you doing?"

"Confiscating these," she answered.

"Why?" He watched as his hand fell to the bed; Lucent's fingernails were oddly stubbly compared to the long fingerknives he always wore.

"Lucent was not in a good mood when you knocked him out, which almost always guarantees a bad trip. I'm just taking precautions. Who knows what he'll do when he wakes." She heard Nitrine's tiny whimper as she left to go wash the blood from Lucent's clothes and stitch it back up. She giggled.

Nitrine sighed as he knelt by the bed and watched Lucent rest. What an eerie reversal. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, and waited.

About an hour later, Mica returned and tapped Nitrine on the shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Switchy switch~" His mouth opened in a silent 'oh', and he rose to his feet, walking towards the door. As she situated a chair by the bed, she called to him, "Don't get in a fight while you're out there~ I won't hesitate to poison you both." The "Ahh..." of Mica getting comfy in her chair was the last sound Nitrine heard before he closed the door and looked around. Reala, still stretched out across the couch, had yet to acknowledge his return, too engrossed by the fascinating task of scraping dried blood from his armor. Lucent's clothes, now clean, were stretched across his kitchen counter and drying; next to them, his fingerknives.

"Do you have to stay here?" Nitrine asked icily as he walked towards the counters.

"I'm on a mission; yes, I do," Reala replied bluntly, not looking up. Nitrine huffed in displeasure as he poked at Lucent's clothes. They were almost repulsively soggy when wet, and the metalwork imbedded in the stitching could be felt. He made a slightly grossed out face, then picked up Lucent's fingerknives and turned them over in his hands. Considering the nimbleness with which Lucent handled them, he had expected them to be light, but they were actually quite weighty. He leaned against the counter as he put one down and carefully tugged the other on, flexing his fingers. He had to be careful so he didn't stab himself; there was no protection in those gloves. He appreciated now just how easily that Rubik's cube got mangled.

He bent his fingers a little more then looked up at the red-striped horns peeking up from over the couch and narrowed his eyes. Perhaps... He glanced back down at the glove, then his feet lifted him from the ground and slowly, silently carried him towards Reala. Just a cut. Not a fight; just one, single cut. He raised his hand, and then—

Nitrine had no idea what happened; it had all happened too fast. He had begun to arc his hand down, then suddenly, his jaw hit the ground and here he was, immobilized, on his belly, one arm held firmly behind him, the other pinned to the ground, fingerknives dangerously close to cutting through his own clothing and flesh, and Reala's armored knee digging painfully into his back. "Foolish boy." Reala pulled Nitrine's arm a little further back, evoking a small gasp of pain. "Did you honestly expect to be able to sneak up on me like that? What did you expect to accomplish?"

"I... I just wanted to do something! You _hurt_ Lucent; you hurt him bad! It's not right! No reasoning you might have justifies what you did to him!"

"Hmph." Reala pulled a little harder on Nitrine's arm, and he hissed, "You _idiot_. These affairs are none of your concern—"

"He's my friend; of course it's my concern!" Nitrine interjected.

"Shut up." Reala pulled again.

"Ah!" The tension was such that the muscles in Nitrine's arm trembled some and he gritted his teeth, clamping his mouth shut.

"You. Left. Lucent has not. I don't give a fuck what you call right or wrong; he's subject to our laws, and today he broke one, so he must face the consequences. He did so in full awareness of what he was getting himself into." He dug his knee into Nitrine's back a little further and Nitrine grunted. "You know, as a matter of fact, I should take you with me too, while I'm here. You've stood on neutral territory and posed no threat to us, so we haven't needed to actively hunt you, but if the chance is presented, it would please Master if I brought you in. But I don't think I'm going to."

Nitrine blinked, surprised, and spoke through gritted teeth, "Eh? Wh... why not?"

"Because although I've disapproved of your decision to leave us, I've chosen to respect it. And it would be an enormous pain in my ass to bring two resisting boys at once, not to mention Deca would not stay off my case. Don't work any harder to convince me my respect has been displaced, Nitrine." Reala stood, one foot on Nitrine, and walked back around the couch to return to his comfortable lounging position. Nitrine grunted and gratefully pulled his arm back around to his front. He flexed his fingers, regaining normal feeling, and sighed, gazing wistfully at his hand.


	6. Reaching Out

"Lucent," came the whisper, breaking through the blackness. It sounded like a young girl.

Another voice joined the first, soft, also female, but more mature: "Wake up."

"Wake up, Lucent, wake up!" A young boy.

"Get up."

"Awaken."

"Rise."

"Come on!"

"Get up!"

"Lucent!"

The voices rose in fervor and multitude, melding together into an incoherent babble, but all with the same intent. Lucent groaned. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

Nitrine was back on duty, sitting quietly subdued, when his attention snapped up at a noise from the bed. He saw Lucent open his eyes and leaned in, immediately at full attention. "Lucent...? Are you there?"

Slowly, Lucent sat up and looked around. He sat in an ice blue river of light; pulsing pebbles of sound tumbled past him. The river extended a great distance across; he could only just spot the glittering banks far off in the distance, but they felt so tangibly close. Through the current, he could see neither a beginning nor an end to the river, and he didn't expect one, despite the completely flat landscape. Looking up, the sky was alive. Shapes of every ever-changing hue twisted and writhed, caught amid the veins and arteries of the great breathing beast that stretched from one end of the world to the other. Brilliant light pulsed as blood, and within the spaces were more shapes and shades, an infinite depth; one could wither away their entire life trying to find the end to but a single form. Lucent reached up and touched the far-away sky; he swirled his finger and the colors crashed and became chaos. Shapes shattered and light rained down, warm on his skin and fading away with a soft glow wherever it touched. A lightening strike of gray hit the ground, pulsing through the river, sucking it down, and Lucent smiled and laughed. Such beauty...

Nitrine frowned a bit. Lucent hadn't responded in the slightest to him; he just looked around the room like it was some sort of completely foreign place then started laughing. " _Deca did warn me, I guess..."_ he thought a little glumly. But he had hoped.

Around and behind Lucent figures began to appear. Brilliant nuclei with great and eloquent arcs of color. A few small cloud-like spots stuck to each of them, oscillating around their center. One of these beings stood closer to Lucent than any other, and it greeted in a heavily metallic, fluctuating voice, "Welcome back, friend."

Lucent started slightly and turned to face them. He looked at them all, up at the heaving, contracting, expanding sky, then away, expression forlorn. "I'm friend to no one. I've lost the privilege of that title."

Nitrine looked away, but then glanced back up when he heard Lucent's voice again.

"Now why would you say that?" asked the apparent leader.

"Because I fucked up, I fucked up bad," Lucent said in a snap directed more as a sting to himself than anyone else. "I disobeyed Master; I provoked Reala; I was too cowardly to take what I asked for; I couldn't handle what I was given; I tried to dissociate myself through a manner I knew was only temporary relief, and not only did I fail, but I was _surprised_ it didn't work as I had hoped. But worst of all: I destroyed the relationship I had with the one person I value more than anything or anyone because _I have no self-discipline._ " He slammed his fist into the water and curled it in, collapsing in on himself, shedding tears that burned with frustration.

A tear hit the current of light and the landscape transformed: Rolling fields extended into eternity, covered in the swirling eddies of flower stems, orange and blue. Atop the dancing bodies swayed kaleidoscope morphs of phosphorescence, shifting, changing, gliding from the tip of one stem to the other, splitting, becoming. The sky shot down spears, standing upon each and every hill but one; Lucent sat upon the only exception. Without warning, the entire sky froze: Shapes became constant, colors became identifiable, lightblood crystallized. Without warning, it all began again: Shapes thinned and thickened; colors slid from the bottoms of spears to the top and back; and the blood that flowed pumped faster, suddenly filled with magic and ink black runes.

"Lucent..." murmured Nitrine, his feelings of guilt resurfacing. He reached out, and hesitated, but then, set in stability, placed his hand on Lucent's shoulder and rubbed it gently. "I know you can't hear me, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself... Please, Lucent, wake up soon."

Lucent stiffened at the feeling of a hand on him, and slowly looked up over his shoulder. He saw nothing, felt nothing but a sudden surge of panic; he jolted back, away, falling from a ledge and hitting the ground. The nucleic beings disappeared. His breathing picked up; he could feel each and every blood cell rushing through his veins and arteries.

Lucent had looked directly at him; Nitrine could have sworn it! Then, he had panicked and fallen off the bed, but right now! Lucent was still staring at him! But the reaction... Nitrine knew Lucent still wasn't seeing him. He was looking around. Nitrine neared again slowly, cautiously, and warily reached out his hand and placed it again on Lucent's shoulder. First one, then the other. "Come on Lucent... I know you can at least feel me..."

Lucent acted upon the first impulse that struck him: He lashed out at the invisible contact and slapped the hand away, but even as he did so, the other hand fell upon his other shoulder. This time, he hesitated. It was invisible. Could it do him any harm? Surely not, yet he felt such dread; surely it must! "What is the last thing you remember, Lucent?" the leader of the nucleic creatures asked, hovering beside Lucent as if he had always been there. And he had. Lucent looked at him a long time, remembering.

"I was hurt... I can't remember much... But... Nitrine... He helped me..." In the blink of an eye, the leader was gone again, and everything began closing in: The sky lowered; the ground rose up; the circular horizon neared. The world seemed to be imploding: The hills exploded in showers of sparks and lights; hands with a shifting transparency and glitchy instability reached up from their remains and held their open palms to Lucent, surrounding him. Flowers became dust; dust became the eyes staring at him from all around. He looked away from their callous gaze, towards the ground as it shattered into spiderwebs, and the touch on his shoulders faded away. Sharply, he looked back towards where he thought the invisible figure to be, and there before him was, instead, a portal, crackling with blue power. He hesitated, glancing back one last time at the apocalypse behind him, then quickly stood and stepped through.


	7. Resolution

Nitrine smiled, hearing Lucent's words. He remembered; that was a good sign. But that smile faded as Lucent became panicky, looking around, scared. Unsure of what to expect, he stood, taking a step back. Lucent moved suddenly; without warning, he was on his feet and striding forwards. They inevitably crashed.

The disintegrating world fell away in paper shreds, and Lucent perceived the reality around him once more. Looking around, he was back in Nitrine's room; his clothes had been taken; he had been bandaged; and... Blushing furiously, he scrambled back, onto the bed, off of Nitrine. "I'm so sorry..." he mumbled, looking away, his heart pounding.

"It's ok," answered Nitrine, watching Lucent's shame and embarrassment sympathetically. His emotions were so very clear in his every action, that look on his face, in his eyes. The careful way he moved as he touched the casts on his horns, the bandages on his leg and abdomen.

"Nitrine? How long was I out?"

Nitrine shrugged. "Hours."

"Are my clothes in the living room?"

A nod.

Slowly, shyly, face red and feeling so bare, Lucent slid to his feet and walked towards the door to go out and fetch his clothes. He reached for the doorknob, then froze.

"Wait!" Nitrine had exclaimed.

Hesitantly, Lucent turned back towards him. "Yes?"

"Can we talk?"

Lucent's gaze slid away. "What is there left to talk about?" There was no bitterness to his tone, only defeat.

"Please?"

Reluctantly, Lucent stepped away from the door and sat back on the bed, pulling the blankets up over him. "What is it?" He still couldn't look at Nitrine. So he jumped about a foot into the air when Nitrine leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Cheer up, ok Lucie?" Nitrine smiled, a little nervously, at him. Lucent could only stare, stunned. "I overreacted," Nitrine admitted. "You showed up in the middle of the night and were right there when I woke up... It freaked me out. I mean, I already had some suspicions, but that just... well... It sent me over the edge..." He flailed his hands some, shook his head, took a breath, and started over. "What I'm trying to say is... I thought about it and... after all of this... Just because you... feel a certain way... doesn't mean we have to become strangers. Ok?" He hazarded a conciliatory smile.

Lucent teared up and glanced at him, smiling. "You don't know how much that means to me, Nitrine. Thank you." He quickly brushed away the tears and took a deep breath, reclaiming control over his emotions. The smile lingered. He glanced at Nitrine once more as he got to his feet and approached the door. The entire atmosphere of the action had changed; Lucent felt as if he was walking on air. A heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Nitrine now knew, and he had accepted him anyways. He didn't have to try to hide it anymore. Not a trace remained of the depression that had threatened to envelop him. He opened the door.

"About time you woke up." Reala swung into an upright position, pushing himself up onto his feet. "Get some clothes on; let's go. I hope you'll come willingly this time."

"I will," Lucent confirmed as he walked to the counter and pulled on his shirt and fingerknives. _The stains are gone_ , he noted and glanced at Jade, who smiled and nodded. "I'm ready," he said.

"Finally." Reala met Lucent on the way to the door and shoved him ahead, into the portal. Lucent barely had time enough to look back and catch Nitrine's eye before they disappeared.

Nitrine had moved to the doorway of his room and peeked out, and he sighed as the portal snapped shut. His house suddenly felt deadly quiet, or maybe it was just his anxiety for Lucent twisting knots in his stomach. His gaze dropped to the floor. "..." He looked back up, casting his view about his home, and his focus zeroed in upon spotting Jade, who was looking right at him and smiling. He had forgotten she was there.

"You did the right thing," she said, then turned, as if she too were about to go.

"Wait! Do you think Lucent will be ok?" he asked anxiously.

She contemplated that for a couple of moments, then shrugged. "I think, in the end, yes, he'll be just fine. Don't worry too much about him, alright? He wouldn't want that."

He hesitated a moment, then nodded, and he couldn't get another word out before she too disappeared. Walking about his house, he blew out each and every candle, one by one, slowly replaying and digesting the day's events. Dawn light cut in through the curtains. He winced as a ray struck him in the eye and closed the curtains too before slipping off his shoes and dropping onto his bed, exhausted. Worry for Lucent consumed his final thoughts before falling asleep.

* * *

 

All three marens flinched at the anger in Wizeman's booming voice; all their gazes were focused steadily downward.

"...And you!" Wizeman jabbed Reala hard in the chest, sending him stumbling back a couple of steps upon the Wizehand he stood on; Lucent took this chance to quickly shake off Reala's hold. "What sort of new weakness is this? Unable to stand up against your lessers! Pathetic!"

Reala's face burned with shame, but before he could say anything, he was cut off by Jade, who was kneeling on the ground. "It was not his fault, Master. I had threatened him; you know better than anyone the effects of my poison. Reala is a close second."

Immediately, Wizeman turned upon her. "Interference?" he thundered, and slapped her so hard she flew, bounced, and skidded across the ground, sliding and bumping gently into the throne room wall. Stunned, it took her a couple of moments before she was able to push herself up into a sitting position and look into the glaring Wizehand that floated above her.

"I... I had a method to my madness, Master. Reala had heavily injured Lucent for his betrayal; I feared for his safety. But more importantly, by forcing Lucent to recover at a more normal rate in the Waking World rather than have him healed here, I sought to repair the broken relationship between Nitrine and Lucent. You see, it was the pain from this rejection that had caused Lucent to rebel in the first place."

Another hand rose to stare at Lucent: The gaze was unavoidable; it demanded confirmation or negation. "..." Slowly, Lucent nodded, and answered in quiet monotone. "It was a fluke. An action performed out of pain. I realize that I have kept an unduly close relationship with a rebel, and today I very nearly paid the price for it. Please, forgive me, Master. It will not happen again."

The Wizehand turned to look at Reala. "...Leave me."

"Yes, Master." Reala bowed and quickly left, quietly berating himself over how soft he had clearly become.

That left two. Wizeman tapped Lucent's bandages in quick succession, purposely setting off his still-exposed pain nerves, and he gasped, falling to his knees before Wizeman smacked him off his hand, causing him to crash into Jade, slamming her back into the wall. "It will not happen again! Is that clear?" Wizeman jabbed Lucent roughly in the chest, and he coughed as the air rushed from his lungs.

"Yes Master..." he answered weakly.

"Now, leave, before I change my mind."

"Yes, Master," they answered in unison as they hurried shakily to their feet and fled his chambers. The door slammed loudly behind them.

"Urk... He was pissed," complained Jade, rubbing her sore sides. "You know he faults most of the problem with you, right?"

"Yeah... I know," answered Lucent quietly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I'm sure I'll figure something out." He looked over at her and smiled. "Thank you."

"What for?"

"For defending me. For helping Nitrine and I to reconcile."

"Oh." She waved it off, but smiled some. "It was no trouble at all. And entertaining as all hell."

"Of course it was."


	8. Adjustment and Epilogue

A few months passed, and Nitrine saw not hide nor hair of Lucent. Occasionally, often during some chore or another, he found himself thinking about his friend, worrying. Occasionally, he got angry. Wizeman better not have hurt Lucent! Every so often, he entertained the idea of going to Nightmare and visiting Lucent himself, but every time he tried to steel his resolve to do it, he psyched himself out and changed his mind. And, on the rare occasion, he felt relieved. He had told Lucent that he did want to stay friends, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to the awkwardness that was bound to accompany their every encounter.

"Thank you for your purchase, sir!"

"It was my pleasure," answered Nitrine, smiling, taking the bags from the cheery grocery girl. Stepping around the manager, a Rhydon, he left the store to begin the trek home, but froze, spotting a very familiar figure standing down the street. "Lucent!" he shouted, and ran to meet him. Lucent walked forwards, step by step, and caught Nitrine as he launched himself at him. They embraced tightly, and Nitrine immediately fired off a round of questions: "Howareyoudoing?Areyouok?DidWizemanhurtyou?Whyhaven'tyoucomesooner?Whathap—" Lucent put his hand over Nitrine's mouth, and Nitrine looked up, surprised, but Lucent was smiling. He spoke softly.

"I'm sorry I haven't come sooner. I'm fine. I missed you, Nitrine..." Lucent squeezed him and touched his forehead to Nitrine's, but quickly released him and stepped back, feeling Nitrine grow tense, his expression suspicious. "I'm sorry. I overstepped my bounds. I was just happy to see you." He flashed a quick, shy smile.

"It's fine. Are you sure you're ok?" asked Nitrine concernedly, tilting his head.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. I just..." He shifted his weight slightly, then smiled again. "I just don't want you to worry about me. And I wanted to tell you that I'll probably be visiting less than I used to."

"Ok..." Nitrine paused a moment, looking at Lucent, then added teasingly, "I'll worry less if you cheer up. You don't seem too happy. I hate seeing you sad."

Lucent's smile grew, becoming more genuine. "Deal. You always cheer me up, Nitrine." He stepped forwards and hugged Nitrine again. "Thank you."

Nitrine hugged him back and began to say something, but the words were lost to air as he stumbled forwards, his arms closing around emptiness. Lucent had left, and Nitrine had been cut off yet again.

* * *

 

_One Month Later..._

"Lucent?"

"Yes?"

"I visited Nitrine today."

"Oh? How's he been? Shirona hasn't been working him to hard, has she? ...Is he happy?"

"He's fine; she's worked him no harder than normal. He seems pretty happy, but before I left, he gave me a message. A message for you."

"What'd he say?"

"He says he wants to see you. He can't be sure if you're upholding your end of the bargain if he never sees you. He wants you to come for dinner."

"...When?"

"In three days. Just in case you're busy or something, he said. As if you have a busy schedule."

"...Ok... Ok! I'd be delighted to come. Three days seems so far away... I can't wait!"


End file.
